Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-06-24

felt myself aide pace or two down tn
sloping surface OF the rock, and then pass int.
the air, and tho thought flashed through IN,
brain that was lost. But no. In anothe
instant my feet struck against a rocky floor
and felt that WINS standing on somethin,
solid, and out Of reach of tho wind which
could hear singing away overhead. As
stood there thanking my stars for these small
mercies, there was a slip and scufIle, ant
down came Leo alongside of mo.
"Halloo, old fellowr he called out, Tar,
you therei This is getting interesting, Is 4
notfp
Just then, with terrific yell, Job arrivet
right ON the top OF us, knocking us boil
down. By tho time that we had struggled t
our feet again Ayesha was standing among
us, and bidding rs light tho lamps, which
fortunately remained uninjured, as did the
spare jan OF oil.
got out my box of Bryant & Nays wax
matches, and they struck as merrily there In
that awful place as In London drawing
room. HlI.t..
In couple Of minutes both tho lamps were
alight, and a curious scone they revealed. We
were huddled up in u rocky chamber, some
twelve feet square,, and scared enough VIC
looked; that Is, except Ayesha, who was
standing calmly with her arms folded and
waiting for the lamps to burn up. The cham
Der appeared to be partly natural and partly
followed out OF the top of tho cone Tho roof
Of the natural part was formed of tho swing
ing stone, and that Of tho back part of the
chamber, which sloped downward, was hewn
from the live rock For tho rest, the place
WINS warm and dry-a perfect haven OF rest
compared to tho giddy pinnacle above, and
the quivering spur that shot out to meet 1t In
midnir .
"There,n said She, safely have we come,
though once feared that the rocking stone
would fall with ye and precipitate ye into tho
bottomless depths beneath, for do believe
that the cleft goeth down to the very womb
OF the world. The rock whereon the stone
reststh hath crumblei beneath the swinging
weight And now that he" nodding toward
Job, who was sitting ON the floor, feebly wip-
ing his forehead with red cotton pocket
handkerchief, "whom they rightly call tho
Pig for ns pig is he stupid, hath let fall
tho plank, II will not be easy 10 return across
the gulf, and to that end must make plan.
But now rest awhile and look at this place.
What think yc that 1t isl"
ave know not, answered.
"Wouldst thou believe that once man did
choose this airy nest for daily habitation,
and did here endure for many years, leaving
1t only but ono day in every ten to seek food
and water and oil that the people brought,
more than he could carry, and laid as an
offering in the mouth OF the tunnel through
which we passed hitherfn
We looked up wonderingly, and she con-
tinued:
aVat CO r. ,yog FI,,,n.r, -. . ...... NJ
he named himself-who. though he lived IN
the latter days, had of the wisdom Of tho sola
OF Kor. A hermit was he, and n philosopher
and skilled in the secrets Of MIXTURE, and he 1t
was who discovered the fire that shall show
We, which is natures blood and life, and also
that be who bathed therein and breathcd
thereof should live while nature lives. But
like unto thee, o Holly, this nlan, Moot,
would not turn his knowledge to account
Ill, no said, was it for man to live, for man
was born to die Therefore did no tell his
secret TO mono, and therefore did he come and
live here, where the seeker after life must
pass, and was rcvered OF the AmahagKer OF
tho dry as holy and q hermit And when first
/ came TO this country-knowest thou how
came, KallilEratesl Another time will tell
thee-it is a strange tale-I heard OF this
philosopher, and waited for him when he
came to fetch his food, and returned with him
hither, though greatly did l fear to tread the
gulf, Then did / bsguile him with my beauty
and my wit, and tlntter him with my tongue,
so that he led me down and showed me the
fire, and told me the secrets OF the fire, hut
he would not suffer me to step therein, and,
fearing lest he should slay me, refrained,
knowing that the man was very old and en-
would die. And returned, having learned
from him all that he knew OF the wonderful
spirit Of the world, and that WINS much, for
the man was wise and very ancient, and by
purity and abstinence and the contemplations
OF his innocent mind had worn thin the veil
between that which we sec and tho great IN
visible truths, the whisper OF whose wings at
times we hear as they sweep through tho gross
air Of the world. Then it WINS but very few
days after ] met thee, my Kallilrates, who
had wandered hither with the Egyptian
Amenartas, and le5rned to love for the first
and last time, once and forever, so that it
entered into my mlnd to como hither with
thee, and receive the gilt OF life for thee and
me. Therefore cemo we, with that Egyptian
who would not DO left behind, and, behold,
we found tho old man Moot lying but newly
dead. There he lay, and his white beard lay
on him like garment" and sho pointed to
the spot near where was sitting; shut surely
he hath long since ciumbled into dust, and
the wind hath borne bis ashes hence"
Here put out my hand and felt in the
dust, and presently my fingers touched some
thing. 1t was n single human tooth, very
yellow, but sound. held it up and showed
It to Ayesha, who laughed.
"Yes,T she said, at is lis without doubt.
Behold what remaineth Of Moot and tho wis
dom OF Noot-one little tooth And yet that
man had all life at his command, and for his
consciences sake would have none OF IT.
Well no lay there newly dead, and we do
scended whittier shall lead ye, and then,
gathering up oil my courage. and courting
death that 1 might psrchance win so glorious
a crown Of life, stepped into the flames, and
behold life such as ye can never know until
ye feel II also flowed into me, and came
forth undying ard lovely beyond imagining.
Then did stretch out mino arms 10 thee,
Kallikrates, and bid thee take thine immor-
tai bride; and behold, as / spoke, thou,
blinded by my beauty, didst turn from me,
and throw thine arms about the neck of
Amenartas. And then great fury filed me,
and made mo mad, and / seized the javelln
that thou didst bear, and stabbed thee, SO
that there, at my very feet, in the place of
life, thou didst groan and go down into
death. knew not then that I had power to
STAY with mine eyes and will, therefore In my
madness slew with the javelin.
"And when thou vast dead, ahi wept, be-
cause was undying and thou wnst dead. I
wept there in the plnco of life so that had
been mortal any more my heart had surely
broken. And she, the swart Egyptian, she
cursed mo by her gods. By Osiris did she
curse mo and by Isis, by Nephthys and by
Helkt, by Sekhet, the toe lion headed, and by
Set, calling down evil on mo, evil and ever
lasting desolation. Ahl can see hor dark
face now lowering DER me like storm, but
she could not hurt me, and II know not II
/ could hurt her. did not try; 1t was
naught to me then; so between US we bore
thee hence. And nfterwnrd sent her-the
Egyptian-nway through tho swamps, and u
seems that she lived to boar a son and to
write the tale that should lead thee her hus-
band, back to me, her rival and thy muir
dercss.
lT0 BIZ coYTISUED.l
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